G R8 White

Wow, there are a lot of pissed off people in the world. I can't believe all the negative posts on the new Q5. I really like it!

Audi hasn't officially said that there won't be diesel in the USA. The information that has been released is very preliminary. I can't remember the last time Audi released the full line of option on a new vehicle at it's introduction. So you guys don't need not get your panties all in a wad.

I am sooo glad that Audi went the "boring" route with they styling rather than just plain fugly like the GLK. I don't care how great a vehicle the GLK might be, I couldn't drive the damn thing... yuk!

The other thing I don't quite understand is the all the diesel hype. I have owned diesel pick-up trucks for a few years and while the newer engines are better than the older ones. They aren't necessarily all that great. I actually was thinking of going gas on my next truck. Diesel is great for towing heavy loads. No great advantage in light loads and commuting. Not too mention here in Las Vegas where I live Diesel is selling for about 50 cents a gallon more than premium unleaded. By the time you figure in the additional cost of the diesel engine and then the extra cost of fuel, I doubt the diesel will save any money. To top it off diesel engines aren't as smooth and quiet as gas. Pound for pound a gas engine will deliver more performance. The big advantage to diesel is efficiency, but now it comes at quite a price.

I'll take the 3.2 Tiptronic, but I would rather have a 4.2 FSI with the new 7-speed DSG. I guess I'm glad that there is so much negative attention being given. It'll make it easier for me to get one of the first ones in the US for a reasonable price. Then I'll wait to see what Audi does with engines and transmissions. When they come out with a better set-up I'll have a legitimate excuse to buy a new one.

I'm starting to miss my R8, I got to go and take it for a drive. Just another example of how Audi designs boring cars. The R8 is so boring I have a crowd of people checking it out every time I go to a busy parking lot.

davidlef

Agreed, I don't think it looks all that bad, might even look better than the Q, which wouldn't be hard. However, your comments on diesel I can't agree with. Just read what reviewers are saying about Audi's engine and there is no way you can compare your pick up truck engine to Audi's. That comparison might be the hardest thing, and the cost of diesel fuel, in converting American's to diesels true advantages.

I look forward to seeing one in person before passing judgment.

achildofthesky

Love the Q5 but without a diesel I am not a buyer....

AutoUnionQ7

Very well said. however, I still want the TDI q5 or even the Q7. HURRY UP AUDI

Rocky-in-Connecticut

it's like trying to compare a 70's pushrod Chevy V8 to a modern 2.0T putting out the same power and twice the fuel mileage.

Before anyone comments one way or the other about diesels coming to the US, I suggest you first take a European vacation and rent just about any modern diesel car. Then get back to us. In France this past year the Citreon CDI I rented was a joy and genuinely fun to drive.

G R8 White

I have a 2008 Dodge with a Cummins diesel. While I have no doubt that an Audi diesel may be better engineered than my Cummins. I would hesitate to say that there is a big difference. This is a all new engine that came out in 2007. It was designed with all the latest diesel technology. Including Daimler's blu-tec. There is a night and day difference between this motor and the 2004 Cummins I had.

One comment I have noticed in the articles that I have read about the new German diesel motors is "you can barely tell it's a diesel". That's what people say about my Cummins motor also. The fact remains, if you can barley tell it's diesel than there is still some bad diesel traits that you can tell are there.

Another point on diesel is, not all gas station in the US have diesel fuel. The newer diesel engines with a particulate filter can't run on bio-diesel because it will clog the $5,000 dollar filter. So, you are limited to places that you can fuel up. Also, remember to check that it's ultra-low sulfur diesel because low sulfur diesel will also clog that hi dollar filter. Then when you do find a station that has diesel the pump handle is covered in nasty diesel smelling grime.

Don't get me wrong I have been waiting to get a Q7 diesel for quite some time. I guess the diesel hype is wearing off for me a little. If Audi releases a 3.0 TDI Q5 I may very well get one. But not having a diesel isn't going to stop me from buying a Q5.

G R8 White

All new in 2007 is pretty modern.

I would like to mention an alternate & quite possibly more convenient way of sampling a modern european diesel. Schedule a trip to your local Mercedes-Benz dealer and drive one of their 3.0 CDI sedans or SUVs.

hzhao

Totally agreed. Me too, looking forward to getting one.

1990V85speed

I can tell by your statement that you have never driven the newest TDI from Audi. I just did on my last trip to Germany in January.

I thought that the first Audi TDI I drove back in 2002 was amazing, but the newest one is even more incredible.

Friend of mine is a VW TDI guy, who owns a Dodge as well. His opinion is that the difference is like night-and-day between the newest Cummins and TDI.

Of course, my opinion is tainted by the fact that I was lucky enough to ride in an A4 TDI with Walter Rohrl on an ice track in Austria. Every Audi enthusiast needs to have that thrill once in their lifetime.

Jason Teller

To each his own. I liked some of your original points at the beginning of the thread, but Audi's TDI's are both more fuel efficient and more powerful than gasoline equivalents. That goes for highway or commuting. There is relatively no downside to a TDI except for diesel fuel expense and upfront slightly higher cost, but to me those are things that even out over time all things considered.

The Q5 will eventually come with the TDI so long as Audi sees uptake for that powerplant here in the US first in the Q7 and then elsewhere in the lineup. It is just a matter of time.

By the way I own a 2007 Ford F-250 Super Duty with the 6.4L diesel. Now that's a real truck! The difference between the Ford and Audi's diesels are night and day.